Teachers need to struggle to learn

The towel was a gift from a student. I take it on all my trips now.

I’ve previously written about the empathy I’ve gained while traveling. In that post, I asked if you remember what it was like to first learn the body of knowledge which ultimately became your profession. I observed that much of the initial content we learned is second nature to us now. We don’t even think about the fact that there was a time when we didn’t know it, and we may have even forgotten how much we struggled to learn that which seems trivial to us now.

I’ve again had an experience that reminded me of the challenges that occur when facing something completely new. As a result, I’ve come to believe that every teacher needs to periodically have a similar experience. Beyond the learning that will occur, it will remind them what it’s like to learn, and make them better teachers. Stay with me for a few minutes, and I’ll explain.

As I write this post, I’m mid-way through an eight-hour airplane flight from Berlin, Germany, to New York, New York. My wife and I are at the end of a nearly three-week vacation in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. We’ve previously traveled internationally a few times, but, except for one trip, our destination has been to England, Scotland, and Ireland—all countries where English is very prevalent. English was still fairly common this trip as well, primarily due to us being in tourist areas. None-the-less, we still experienced many challenges.

Our experiences

Visiting these countries meant that we were met with many different languages, and we don’t speak or read any of them. We experienced many different customs as we moved from one country to another. Each country had their own currency, and varying exchange rates with the US dollar. (To make things a bit more confusing, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all call their currency by the same name, but they are each a unique currency.) Also, living in Muncie, Indiana, and having our own cars, we are not accustomed to traveling by busses and trains. We found that the transportation schedule tables were very confusing and difficult to understand.

Our feelings

As a result of these experiences, we often felt confused, frustrated, isolated, and occasionally, helpless. Not being able to read or communicate with others presented a significant challenge at times. We had to resort to non-verbal approaches. Not knowing local customs, currency, or how to read transportation schedules meant we had to ask questions. But who do you ask, and what do you ask? If you’re an introvert, or like being self-sufficient, reaching out to others can be a real challenge. And it can feel like you’re bothering others when you ask for help to do something that you “should” be able to do on your own—at least you could if you were back home. We must have looked as confused as we were at times, as locals often asked if we needed help.

Look for the helpers

Fortunately, a variety of things helped us work through the challenges and to enjoy our trip. We found resources, both technological and human. Translator programs were a great help for understanding individual words or short phrases. Most local people with whom we interacted were (at least) bi-lingual and seemed accustomed to communicating with us foreigners. Utilizing online maps and directions was a tremendous help. We sometimes had a local guide which was great, in that they could provide “color commentary” that we likely would have otherwise missed. They also were familiar with transportation schedules and venues and helped us experience the most we could in a fixed amount of time.

Aside from those specifics, we found other factors helpful. Consistency and structure were a tremendous help. Once we learned one thing, we could often apply that knowledge to something else that was similar, quickly furthering our learning. And most of all, it simply took patience, practice, time, and a willingness to learn.

Our learners in a “foreign” land

How similar were my recent challenges to those that our learners experience—especially our first-time learners? Students are arriving on campuses as I write this or will be soon. The experiences of those attending college for the first time may be very similar to what I experienced. They must learn to navigate new environments, cultures, expectations, and new-found freedoms. They will discover that earning in college is likely different than high school. Professors may teach in different ways and have different expectations. They will need to reach out for help from their peers and professors.

We can help!

Our learners need help navigating these challenges. We can provide consistency and structure in our courses. We can clearly communicate our expectations. We can be open and approachable so they will feel comfortable asking us for help. We can provide learning opportunities that build on their prior experiences so they have something to which they can relate it. We can reach out to them and offer help.

I needed to struggle!

I already knew this. There is nothing new here; I’ve learned it before. But after a few semesters I started to forget. I needed this vacation to remind me, yet again, what it is like to be a learner—especially a new one. I needed to struggle to understand the language, the schedules, everything. This will make me a better teacher in a few weeks.

What about you?

I firmly believe that all teachers should periodically experience a significant new challenge. Travel to a new country where a language is spoken that you do not know. Learn a new language. Learn a new skill that is unlike anything you already know how to do. Push yourself and expand your horizon. What will you do to become a better teacher?

The empathy I gained while traveling

The towel was a gift from a student. I take it on all my trips now.

Do you remember what it was like to first learn the body of knowledge which ultimately became your profession? So much of that initial learning is totally second-nature to us now, and we don’t even think about the fact that there was a time when we didn’t know it. We may have even forgotten how much we struggled to learn what seems trivial to us now. I suggest we need to have some empathy for our students' struggles.

Stay with me, while I relate a personal story to you. I’ll come back to empathy in a bit.

My wife and I have traveled to England, Scotland, and Ireland a few times, and thoroughly enjoyed each for many different reasons. Aside from the normal logistical challenges that arise, we found the trips and conversing with the locals rather easy. Obviously, the primary language spoken in England is English (although some of the words do have different meanings), but even in Scotland and Ireland, it is easier to converse in English than you might think.

Bayeux, France

Last summer we ventured off of the islands onto the continent for our first time, traveling to parts of France and Germany for two weeks. Neither my wife or I speak French or German. We were assured by friends that—at least in the larger cities—this would not be a problem for us, and mostly that was true.

View from our apartment in Bayeux, France

We started our visit to France in Bayeux, an old small town in Normandy on the northwestern coast. It is largely a tourist town, with a major attraction being visits to the various D-day and Normandy landing venues in the surrounding area. We stayed at a great Airbnb apartment in a multi-centuries-old building in the center of town. Being a tourist town, we had very few issues communicating with others. We enjoyed our time there and would have liked to have stayed a couple more days, but alas we had other reservations in Paris.

Our apartment in Paris, France

We boarded a train bound for Paris, where we had arranged to stay in another Airbnb apartment. This one was in Northeast Paris, far out into the residential suburbs. This was definitely not an area which catered to tourists, but it was wonderful to see this part of Paris as well. The apartment was great (complete with a washing machine, but no dryer), and was conveniently located just a few blocks from a Metro commuter train stop, which allowed us to get most anywhere we wanted to go. It provided a very cost-effective and pleasant way for us to stay in Paris.

By the time we arrived at the apartment the first evening, it was time for dinner. We also planned to eat our breakfasts in the apartment each morning and make our lunches to take with us each day. With a bit of research via information provided in the apartment by the owners, we figured out that there was a community square a few blocks from the apartment which had a few restaurants, but more importantly, a grocery store. Off we headed on, what seemed to us at the time, a simple mission—get dinner and buy groceries for the week.

Paris, France - Eiffel Tower

Paris, France - Notre Dame Cathedral

Now remember, we don’t speak French, and we’re in a residential area of Paris, where it is unusual to have lots of tourists. We hadn’t realized that yet, however. Since arriving in Paris earlier that day, we’d spent the afternoon in the center of Paris, with all the other tourists, and store clerks who spoke English well enough to communicate with us. After walking a few minutes, we arrived at the square, and located a viable take-out restaurant for dinner. We entered and proceeded to try to figure out what we wanted to eat. All of the signage was in French, and the workers didn’t speak English. Did I mention that we don’t speak French? Fortunately, there were pictures, and we eventually got something bought and took it out to sit in the square to eat. We both enjoyed what we had for dinner, but I’m still not sure what it was I ate that night. We were starting to realize we weren’t in Kansas anymore!

Next task: buy groceries. We entered the store and it looked encouragingly familiar; aisles of packaged food on shelves, and lots of fresh, unpackaged food. But again, no English signage, and of course the package labels are all in French. And as a reminder (wait for it…), we don’t speak French. Long story short, what should have been a 10- to 15-minute jaunt into the store to pick up a few breakfast and lunch supplies, along with other miscellaneous items turned into nearly an hour excursion. Google translate quickly became our friend! We successfully bought everything we needed, but it took us way longer than we expected it to. By the end of the week, I was recognizing a lot of French words and understanding what they meant. I was somewhat surprised how often I could make a reasonably correct guess about a French word because of an English word being (somewhat) similar.

I felt a bit isolated after my experience that evening. I realized that if I didn’t know what something meant, I was going to have to ask questions. But if I didn’t know how to, or what questions to ask, how could I do that? I did find that the local residents were very willing to help me understand, as long as I was trying to understand their language and use it when I could. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in France (and Germany), but this was my first time traveling when communication had been a challenge for me. I was experiencing something new and unfamiliar, and had to work through it.

Paris, France - Painting of "hieroglyphics" on the wall in a Metro commuter train tunnel

As I reflect on the experience I had that evening, I wonder if it is similar to what our students experience at the start of our introductory courses. They are being immersed in a topic they know little or nothing about. They have little context to which they can attached their new knowledge. We often use new terminology, or use their familiar words in different ways. They may know they have questions, but don’t believe they know enough to ask us questions. As someone who teaches an introductory computer programming course, I’m asking students to learn new concepts and to learn a new (programming) language, complete with its own (unusual) punctuation.

I came back last summer with a renewed appreciation for (some of) what it means to be a new student. We teachers need to remember that we haven’t always known everything we now know. There was a time we struggled to learn it, and that is the same struggle our students are having now. If we are to be effective guides in the learning process of others, we need to remember those first days when we were learning the material which we are now helping others master.

We need to have empathy and remember what it’s like to be in a foreign land and not know the language. How can we reach out and help these intrepid travelers we call students? Share your ideas below.